ZIPAUDIO MP3 PLAYER HELP

This button minimizes the player to the task bar. To restore the player to the desktop click on the application button on the task bar or use ALT-TAB.

HELP Button

Displays this interactive help file on your default browser.

ABOUT Button

This button displays the About dialog box. This dialog box shows the player version, copyright and registration information. It also lists the licensing information and ZipAudio Technology's website address.

PLAY Button

Click the PLAY button to play the first track in the playlist if the current MODE is SINGLE or LOOP. If there is no playlist made it will prompt you to select songs for your playlist. If the current MODE is SHUFFLE or LOOP SHUFFLE a random track will play.

Right-click on the PLAY button to display the current playlist. You can select a track to play. It will interrupt the track if one is already playing.

Note: To play an individual track without having to create a playlist, open a single mp3 file from the directory where you have mp3 files stored WITHOUT starting the player. Mp3 files are automatically associated to the ZipAudio MP3 Player. If you choose this option keep in mind that ZipAudio will not open more than one file at a time. To select another file close the player and select another mp3 file. This is to reduce the amount of memory used.

PAUSE Button

Click the pause button to suspend the current track. The track will remain suspended until the PAUSE button is clicked once more.

STOP Button

Click this button to stop playing the current track. To resume playing click on the PLAY button.

REWIND Button

Click and hold this button if you want to rewind the current track. Release the REWIND button when you reach the time that you want to replay from. Rewind stops when the time reaches zero. Single-click this button if you want to go to the previous track in the playlist.

VOLUME buttons	Click on the plus (+) button to adjust the volume up or click on the minus (-) button to adjust the volume down. The volume level temporarily replaces the mode and indicator on the display window. It disappears 3 seconds after you have finished adjusting the volume.
FORWARD Button	Click and hold this button if you want to fastforward the current track. Release the FORWARD button when you reach the time that you want to play from. Forward stops when the time reaches the end of the track. When the FORWARD button is released the player will start playing the current track at the time registered by the player time. Single-click this button if you want to go to the next track in the playlist.

FORMAT Button	Click this button to alternate between the ZipAudio CD Player and the ZipAudio MP3/Wave Player. Be sure to save any currrent playlists before switching. You will not be prompted to save. We strongly suggest that you STOP the current player before switching to the other player.
MODE Button	Click this button to select how you want to play the titles in the playlist:
SINGLE	Titles play consecutively to the end of the playlist.
LOOP	Titles play consecutively until the STOP button is pressed	.
SHUFFLE	Titles play in random order until all titles in playlist have played once	.
LOOP SHUFFLE	Titles play in random order until the STOP button is pressed.

PLAYLIST Button This button displays the MP3/Wave PlayList, the MP3 Encoder, and MP3 Decoder dialog box.

Open: Opens an existing MP3/wave playlist. When you use the player for the first time there is no default playlist. Add mp3 and wave files to create and save a playlist.

Save: Saves any changes made to the current playlist.

Add: Opens a dialog box for you to search for any wave or mp3 files that you would like to add to the current playlist.

Remove: Select a song title in the playlist then click REMOVE to remove unwanted songs from the current playlist.

Close: Closes the playlist dialog box.

The AutoPlay, Resume, Loop, and Shuffle checkboxes turn the default playlist settings on (selected) or off (unselected).

The Playlist tab will display the current playlist title in brackets <>, ie: <dancemix>, if you have loaded a playlist that you have named "dancemix".

Note: Once a playlist is created it is stored in the player's "memory". In order to change a playlist name, simply click the open button, double-click on the playlist name that you would like to change, and retype the new name.

This option is particularly useful if you made a mistake when creating your playlist. Remember that you cannot select a playlist by double-clicking on the name. This will simply allow you to edit the name.

Note: If you delete, move, or rename any mp3 or wave files listed in a playlist this message will appear when you load the player.

By removing the file from the playlist you can add the file from its new location, or with its new name, once the player has loaded.

If you choose "No" you will not be able to play, audition or edit that file's id3 tag. If you choose "Cancel" a message box will appear stating that "errors occured while loading the playlist" and the playlist will not load.

More Info: Displays the selected song's information if it has been added. You can edit the information yourself. If the selected song is an MP3 it will display which format it is. Other details listed are:

File size, Length in minutes and seconds, BitRate, Frames, Frequency, and Channels.

It also displays whether it is copyrighted, original, and if it has checksums.

You can save the tagged information or remove it.

Filename: displays the filename and where the song is currently being stored.

The AUDITION button allows you to sample a selected track. This is only possible if a track is NOT currently being played. If a track is already being played from the playlist the AUDITION button is disabled.

If anything is changed in the playlist, on exiting the MP3/Wave Playlist dialog box, a reminder will ask if you would like to save changes.

MP3 Encoder:

The encoder has the same options as the playlist: Add, Remove, More Info, Audition, and Close.

Click on a song to encode (target) or add a wave song (source) from another directory. The BitRate and Sample Rate display the rates of the wave file to be encoded. Double-click on a wave file to edit the encoding options.

Delete wave file after encode:

To encode an MP3 the track is first extracted from the CD and saved as a wave file. You can choose not to delete this file after the track encoding has completed in order to compare the sound quality of the two files.

START Button: Click on the START Button to begin the file encoding process.

STOP Button: Click on the STOP Button if you want to terminate the encoding process before its completion.

BitRate:

Choose the bitrate that you would like to encode the selected file at. The higher the bitrate the better the quality of the encoded file. Keep in mind that a higher bitrate will also take longer and will require more CPU to encode the track.

Sample Rate:

Choose the sample rate that you would like to encode the selected file at. Typical sample rates are: 11,000 Hz (telephone quality), 22,000 Hz (radio quality), 44,000 Hz (CD quality). The higher the sample rate the better the quality of the encoded file. Keep in mind that a higher sample rate will create a larger encoded file.

Encode to Path:

A default path is already set in the options. If you want to change the path that you want your MP3-encoded file to be stored to, simply type in the full path.

Encoding File, Completion, Time Lapsed displays which file is being encoded, how much of the file is already encoded, and how much time it is taking to encode.

MP3 Decoder

The decoder has the same options as the encoder: Add, Remove, More Info, Audition, and Close.

Click on an mp3 to decode (target) or add an mp3 song (source) from another directory. Double-click on an MP3 file to edit the decoding options.

Delete MP3 file after decoding:

You can choose not to delete this file after the file decoding has completed in order to compare the sound quality of the two files.

Decoding File, Completion, Time Lapsed displays which file is being decoded, how much of the file is already decoded, and how much time it is taking to decode.

START Button: Click on the START Button to begin the file encoding process.

STOP Button: Click on the STOP Button if you want to terminate the encoding process before its completion.

DISPLAY WINDOW

	Displays the current song's title. If this song title does not have an ID3 tag it will display the song title in the exact same way that the mp3 file is displayed, ie. song1.mp3.
	Displays the current song's artist name. This information is only available if you enter it into the more info dialogue box, or, if the downloaded file has an ID3 tag.
	Displays the current song's encoding information: <Sample Rate><BitRate><Channel>. This information is only available if the mp3 file has an ID3 tag.
	Displays the number of the current song as it appears in the playlist.
	Displays the current song time elapsed in minutes and seconds.
	Displays the current song time elapsed in minutes and seconds.
	Displays the play mode selected with the MODE button. Single mode plays each track in the playlist sequentially. Loop mode plays the entire playlist continuously until the STOP button is pressed. Shuffle mode plays all the tracks in the playlist in random order until all the tracks have played once. Shuffle Loop mode plays all the tracks in the playlist continuously, in random order, until the STOP button is pressed.
	Displays whether the current action is PLAY, PAUSE, REWIND, or FORWARD.
	Displays the volume peaks as the song plays.